You love wine. You love music. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the perfect playlist for what’s in your glass?
You might ask, how could any musical recommendation be anything other than personal and subjective?
Stay with me: There is research. Even this sceptical writer with a high-tech background focused on data-driven results has been surprised by what the research data show.
Read Susan R Lin MW’s research on music and wine
Why music and wine? There is nothing like the transporting magical experience of listening to music that resonates deeply.
Wait, there is! You know when it happens: You taste a wine and something happens within you. A strong feeling, a long ago memory, something you can’t quite name surfaces. Suddenly you are on a journey to the past. It is visceral and emotional.
Music is my constant. Since my childhood I listened, I trained, I performed. I still do. Wine fulfils a similar passion, academically and spiritually. Their synergies and wonderful sensorial differences led me to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in piano and musicology, as well as the Master of Wine.
Naturally I had to explore any effects of music on the sensory experience of wine tasting for my Master of Wine Research Paper. What I share with you here is based on my own research, combined with the body of research from other academics.
A quick primer: Music comprises elements, and these were found to have a statistically significant effect on taste perception: pitch (high-low), tempo (fast-slow), timbre (sharp-round) and articulation (dynamic-smooth).
Similarly, wine has sensory characteristics: acidity or freshness, fruitiness, richness, complexity, and for sparkling wines, effervescence.
Despite music and wine being disparate sensory realms, their effects can be strikingly similar.
We often characterise both music and wine with such words as delicate, powerful, vibrant and so on. The combination of these components lend music and wine their overall feel and emotional potential.
Susan R Lin MW performing at Vintners’ Hall for the Institute of Masters of Wine. Credit: Susan R Lin MW
The wine playlists: six to try
Research shows that we make intuitive associations between musical elements and taste sense – for instance, high pitch associates with acidity; low pitch can evoke bitterness. This is an oversimplification, of course, and the myriad combinations of elements make for fascinating research.
Based on the research – and a convivial wink from yours truly – here are six playlists to jumpstart your own wine and music journey, each tailored to complement a different style of wine.
Music for light whites
Key features: Freshness, fruitiness, zestiness, delicacy
Musical elements to enhance the tasting experience: High pitch, mid-fast tempo, bright timbre, dynamic articulation; gentle, exciting character.
My starter playlist on YouTube:
- Celtic and/or Chinese harp and flute music
- Pharrell Williams: Happy
- Taylor Swift: Shake It Off
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No 23, I Allegro
Music for rich whites
Key features: Oak/baking spices, broad/lush, creamy/textural
Musical elements: Lower pitch, slower tempo, rounder timbre, smoother articulation; layered textures, more powerful yet calm character.
My starter playlist:
- Carlos Santana: Samba Pa Ti
- Orville Peck: Daytona Sand
- Fujii Kaze: Garden
- Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Music for light reds
Key features: Fresh, fruity, bright, delicate floral, subtle earth notes
Musical elements: Mid-high pitch, mid-fast tempo, bright timbre, dynamic articulation; gentle, exciting character
My starter playlist:
- Toshiki Kadomatsu: If You (Wanna Dance Tonight)
- Ed Sheeran: Shape of You
- The Weeknd: Out of Time
- Johann Sebastian Bach: Keyboard Concerto No 4, 1st Movement
Music for rich reds
Key features: Texture (tannin shape), oak, intensity of fruit/earth notes, richness, complexity, density
Musical elements: Lower pitch, slower, stately tempo, rich timbre, smoother articulation, layered textures, powerful + calm or powerful + exciting
My starter playlist:
- The Doors: Riders on the Storm
- The Beatles: I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
- Astor Piazzolla: Libertango
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No 7, 2nd Movement
Music for sparkling wines
Key features: Effervescence, and depending on style (e.g. Prosecco versus a youthful Brut non-vintage Franciacorta versus a vintage Champagne) we use musical elements as levers to highlight the appropriate sensory characteristics in the wine.
My starter playlist for lighter sparkling wines:
- Any well-produced Eurodance or up-tempo 90s/00s pop!
- Earth, Wind, & Fire: September
- Dave Brubeck: Someday My Prince Will Come
- Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals, Finale
My starter playlist for richer, vintage-style sparkling wines:
- Bruno Mars: That’s What I Like
- David Guetta & Sia: Beautiful People
- Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No1, 3rd Movement
- Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto, 3rd Movement
Given the incredible wealth of music available, it was challenging to pare the lists down to a few selections – nonetheless, these lists demonstrate the power of different combinations of elements and character to bring a similar effect across varied musical genres.
Hopefully this has your creative juices flowing and you’ll be inspired to explore further!
Let your senses and emotions guide you. Allow yourself to sink into the feelings you experience. Be transported to someplace familiar – and perhaps to someplace new. Go forth and create your own music and wine adventure.
